Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Set in the 20th century.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Horrific, romantic, pessimistic, disheartening
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is John Dowell.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is in part one of the books in which Leonora suspects that her husband, Edward, is preying on her friend, Florence. Leonora is scared that the two will end up sleeping together because her husband has a history of cheating.
Climax
The climax is in part two of the text, in which Florence commits suicide after realizing that her husband, Dowell, is aware of her adulterous behavior.
Foreshadowing
The revelation of her sexual immorality foreshadows Florence's suicide.
Understatement
The punishment Leonora and Nancy give Edward is understated. After Nancy learns from Leonora that Edward is the worst womanizer, the two women decide to punish him by deserting him. Edward becomes lonely and hopeless until he kills himself with a kitchen knife.
Allusions
The story alludes to the wages of unfaithfulness in marriage.
Imagery
The author uses death imagery to depict sight to readers. Through sight imagery, the readers see the circumstances under which Mrs. Maidan, Florence and Edward die. The three characters commit suicide because of shame when their sexual immorality is discovered.
Paradox
The main paradox in the book is sexual immorality amongst the characters. Florence is married to Dowell, but she cheats on him with Jimmy and Edward, married to her best friend, Leonora. Similarly, Edward is having a sexual affair with her niece, Nancy.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Adultery is personified as horrific.
